Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in December 2009 At the end of the year its results were summed up. On 22 December the leadership of the United Democratic Forces of Belarus held a press-conference at which it was stated that this year the situation for the opposition wasn’t better than last year. The country again has political prisoners, the Ministry of Justice again denies the state registration to political parties and NGOs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies accreditation to foreign media and their correspondents. Besides, democratic activists are kidnapped by unidentified persons and are arrested for participation in unauthorized peaceful street actions. On 10 December Belarusian human rights defenders intended to hold a number of various events dated to the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including informational pickets, quizzes, contests, etc. 14 applications for authorization of such actions were filed to the authorities in the capital and other large cities of Belarus. None of them were satisfied. In fact, in Belarus the Human Rights Day was put under a ban. Only in Brest the authorities sanctioned a rally at the unfrequented Locomotive stadium on the outskirts, though the local civil activists filed applications for three actions: a rally, a picket and a procession in the center of the city. In Minsk the first events dated to the Human Rights Day took place before 10 December. On 6 December an open youth meeting was held at the International Educational Center (IBB). On 7-9 December Minsk activists of the Movement For Freedom organized the viewing of human rights documentaries. On 9 December the civil initiative Human Rights Alliance presented its yearly prizes. The correspondent of Radio Liberty Aleh Hruzdzilovich was awarded as the journalist of the year, Pavel Sapelka – as the best lawyer and Raman Kisliak – as the best human rights defender. After the award ceremony there was held a joint press-conference of representatives of human rights organizations. On 10 December Minsk human rights defenders and civil activists went out to Nezalezhnastsi Avenue to congratulate passers-by on Human Rights Day. Together with the congratulations people were given informational booklets and postcards with information about different human rights issues. On 23 December the organizing committee of the civil initiative Charter'97 presented its National prize for human rights protection in 2009. The political activist Franak Viachorka, the civil activist Zmitser Barodka, the young activist Maksim Viniarski, the political prisoner Artsiom Dubski, Vaukavysk entrepreneurs Uladzimir Asipenka, Yury Liavonau and Mikalai Autukhovich and Salihorsk human rights defender Yana Paliakova were awarded for personal courage (the latter one – posthumously). On 23 December the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs presented symbolic awards to representatives of the civil initiatives that were most active in 2009. Among the prize holders there are the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center Viasna. The campaign Human Rights Defenders was declared the civil campaign of the year. The anti-hero of the event was the Ministry of Justice that won in the nomination Non-registration of the year. On 17 December the European Parliament adopted by the overwhelming majority of votes a resolution on Belarus. The documents points at the absence of significant progress in the situation of human rights in spite of a number of positive steps. The resolution welcomes the decision to extend the sanctions towards the Belarusian officials till October 2010 and freeze them till that time. The European MPs believe that the dialogue with Belarus on human rights must be aimed at concrete results and significant progress in the sphere of democracy and supremacy of law. The MPs expect that in 2010 the Belarusian authorities will reform the law On mass media and will put it in line with recommendations of international experts, will abolish the article that penalizes activities on behalf of unregistered organizations, will allow the registration of political parties and NGOs and will create favorable conditions for activities of NGOs and mass media. The European MPs also insist on urgent introduction of the moratorium on death penalty in Belarus. The resolution also calls on the Belarusian authorities to review the verdict that were issued in 2007 to the figurants of the Process of 14 (including Artsiom Dubski who is serving a prison term now) and urgently release from jail the former Vaukavysk entrepreneurs Uladzimir Asipenka and Mikalai Autukhovich. Belarusian human rights defenders also prepared and passed to the UN Human Rights Council an alternative Universal Periodical Report on Belarus. The authorities must present their report by February 2010. On the basis of these reports the Human Rights Council will adopt its recommendations for Belarus. According to the lawyer of HRC Viasna Valiantsin Stefanovich, within the frames of the preparation of the alternative UPR the authorities agreed to hold consultations with the NGOs that prepared it. The human rights defenders twice met with representatives of the Belarusian MFA and the first vice-head of the Presidential Administration Natallia Piatkevich. The human rights defenders also prepare an alternative report to the UN Human Rights Committee on implementation of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights by Belarus. The official Minsk has already twice ignored its obligation to report on the ICCPR to the Committee and didn’t implement its decisions. As it was stated by the Director General of Democracy and Political Affairs Jean-Louis Laurens, the Council of Europe insists on introduction of the death penalty moratorium in Belarus. 1. Politically motivated criminal cases On 7 December in Navahradak the activist of Belarusian Christian Democracy and Young Front Yury Kazak was charged under Article 339, part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (hooliganism). The youth activist was detained in the night of 6-7 November 2009, when the local monument to Lenin was smeared with green paint. The court hearings took place on 29 and 30 December. The activist confessed having poured the paint over the monument to Lenin. The director of Navahradak local core museum stated that the monument wasn’t a historical or cultural value and Lenin Square would soon be renamed. The historian Yury Bachyshcha read a letter from his colleagues about the negative role of Lenin in the history of Belarus. The prosecutor asked to fine Yury Kazak about 8 million rubles. Judge Valer Yatsynkavich postponed the trial to 11 January 2010. At the end of December the head of Brest branch of Young Front Yuliya Pashko received a prosecutorial warning for activities on behalf of unregistered organization. In his letters the activist of Young Front Artsiom Dubski writes about the increase of his pressurization by the administration of the prison where he is serving his one-year term. He writes that the prison authorities try to isolate him, prohibiting other prisoners to communicate with him. He cannot even a detailed description of the situation, as his mail is censored in prison. 2. Administrative punishments to civil and political activists On 2 December the Young Belarus activists Andrei Kuzminski, Pavel Prakapovich, Nastassia Mashchava and Yahor Babrou were detained for holding a performance near Belarus department store. The young people set up a stand and painted a man with moustache on it. It was written under the caricature: ‘Throw an egg at me if you don’t like the regime’. The young activists placed a box with eggs near the stand. There were some persons who liked the idea, and some eggs were flung into the stand. On 3 December the judge of Zavadski district court of Minsk A.Niakrasava found the detained activists guilty under Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (participation in unauthorized action). Pavel Prakapovich and Yahor Babrou were sentenced to 15 days of jail, Andrei Kuzminski – to 7 days and Nasta Mashchava was fined 1 050 rubles (about $376). On 17 December the Savetski district court of Minsk fined Aliaksandr Haharyn for taking part in the protest action near the Embassy of Iran on 16 December. That day representatives of the Belarusian LGBT community protested against the Iranian law according to which homosexuals must be punished with death. A.Haharyn was fined 105 000 rubles (about $38) under article 23.34, part 1 (participation in unsanctioned rally). Two other participants of the action, Siarhei Androsenka and Siarhei Pradzed were tried on 23 December. Judge of the Savetski district court of Minsk Aksana Reliava found Siarhei Androsenka the organizer of the mass action and fined him 825 000 rubles (about $295), while Siarhei Pradzed was fined 350 000 rubles (about $125). As it follows from ruling #16 of the Ministry of Information of Belarus, the administrative case against the Russian ecologist Andrey Ozharovskiy was dropped because of absence of corpus delicti in his actions. ‘One can be administratively punished for distributing printed periodicals without imprint. The materials that were confiscated from Ozharovskiy weren’t production of a printed media,’ was stated in the court verdict. The confiscated printed editions, in which Ozharovskiy criticizes the idea of the construction of a nuclear power-plant in Belarus, will be returned to him. Bear in mind, the Russian nuclear physicist, project coordinator of the EcoDefense group A.Ozharovskiy was detained on 9 October in the town of Astravets in Hrodna oblast to which he came as an official participant of the public hearings about the possible influence of the nuclear power plant on the ecology. Later the local court sentenced the ecologist to 7 days of jail on charges in hooliganism. 3. Freedom of speech and the right to disseminate information At the beginning of December the Ministry of Justice refused to register the news office of the Polish satellite TV channel BelSat.